Fridge buy-back program helps customers save money and energy
VANCOUVER – BC Hydro estimates there are close to 500,000 spare fridges in homes across the province, costing British Columbians up to $42 million a year in electricity costs to operate. BC Hydro is currently collecting and recycling secondary fridges for free.
"Refrigerators are one of the most energy-consuming appliances in a home – they run 24 hours a day," said Pat Mathot, Power Smart Residential Marketing manager, BC Hydro. "The good news is that newer models of Energy Star® refrigerators use a fraction of the electricity that old fridges use. However, some of these old fridges are still plugged-in in basements and garages throughout B.C. where they continue to guzzle power."
Through the Fridge buy-back program BC Hydro will collect spare fridges from its residential customers and give them $30 for each fridge.
Since 2007, BC Hydro has collected and recycled more than 250,000 fridges. As a result, customers have saved more than $23 million in electricity costs.
Appliances can account for up to 20 per cent of your household's annual electricity costs, and refrigerators use nearly half this amount. If all the spare fridges in B.C. homes were recycled, there would be enough energy saved to power all the homes in a city the size of Chilliwack for an entire year.
For more information about the program, visit powersmart.ca/fridge.
For more information please contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
p. 604 928 6468